Dark Eldar Playtest

From: <nils.saugen_at_...>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 07:16:03 -0000

Hi u'all!

Last night we gave the Dark Eldar a test. It was a 4000 points battle
against Chaos. It was not an ideal testoposition, but it was the one
we could muster in such a short ammount of time.

The battlefield was fairly open, wit lots of hils, a few woods on
each table edge and 3 ruined cities.

I fielded:

Warrior Company (3 detachments of 6stds)
Raider Company (3 detachments of 3stds)
Reaver/Raptor Company (Same as a Windhost but costs a little more)
Wych Cult (2 wich detachments 4stds, 1 Helion detachment, 4stds)

Haemonculus special card
Drachon Special Card (4 stands)
Night spinner scout titans

Mandrake detachment*2
Scrouche detachment*3
Grotesques

Chaos Fielded
Mortarion + legion in rhinos and nurgle mage.
Fulgrim + legion in rhinos and slaanesh mage.
Keeper of secrets, beast riders, scout titans and knights.
Angron + Cannons of Khorne and juggers.

Turn 1.
Chaos opened by playing burning bodies on a forest area in the DE
setup sone. luckily it failed, saving the 4 detachmens hideing in the
wood. Chaos having the initiative moved into the ruins on their right
flank. It was clear that chaos expected the main bulk of the fighting
to take place in that area of the board, where the DE was more
concentrated in the center of the field. The 2 detachments of
Mandrakes moved forward in front of the main DE forces. Chaos braced
themselves for an all out assault, bu it never came! The DE carfully
positioned themselves along their battle line only sending forward
one detachment of jetbikes to engage Chaos on the middle of the board.
Relying on their long range Splinter cannons and Dark lances to do
the job. The titans tried to web don 2 detachments of marines,
however they where not very successfull.

Score turn 1
Chaos 37
Dark Eldar 15

Round 2
The over careful strategy of the DE had not worked as planned. So the
DE went on the offencive bikes moving forward to strike at the
objectives controlled by Chaos. Mortarion and the nurgle mage,
plagued the right flank, filling the streets of the ruined city with
posious gasses and plauge winds. The dark Eldar assault caused a lot
of casualities among the Chaous marienes, but it was not enough, the
battle was lost.

Score turn 2
Chaos 55
Dark Eldar 26

This game didn't really provide me with many answers. I took along to
much infantry and to little transports, meaning I couldn't utilize
the DE main strenght; Movement. The Bikes are an absolute necessety
IMO, they provide the DE with speed and power. I was also lucky
enoguh to roll the reroll Close combat once for all the bikes (We
decided to make one roll for all the bikes instead of one for each
detachment to keep the bookkeeping to a minimum.) Combat drugs are a
nice flavour, and although some might thing the reroll close combat
ability is somewhat hefty. I think it is an excellent boost of the
Wych abilities. If you consider removeing the drug table and adding
one ability/characteristic to the unit insted, this should be it!

The DE needs more tanks with good firepower. We have decided that the
Dark Lance only works on vehicles/walkers/Infantry. It would be kind
of overpowering the unit if the Dark Lance gave a superheavy a save
of 5+. We can go 2 ways, keep it this way, or change the save
modifier to a -2 or -3 instead. This would be my advice.

Giving the dark Lance the following stats:
Range 75cm, 1, 5+, -3.

Other than that more testing would be needed!

Nils
Received on Tue Aug 21 2001 - 07:16:03 UTC